Crown Iris

The 1992-built MS Crown Iris cruise ship is currently owned by Mano Maritime Israel - shipping company, subsidiary of Mano Holdings Group (owned by Moshe Mano) and owner of box ships (container carriers). Liner's only fleetmate is Golden Iris.

The vessel (IMO number 8814744) is currently Panama-flagged (MMSI 370610000) and registered in Colon.

History - construction and ownership

The previous shipowner (Louis Group Plc) leased the vessel to Celestyal Cruises (Louis Group's subsidiary company). The liner was built as "MS Royal Majesty" and in 2012-2017 was operated under long-term by the UK company Marella Cruises (formerly "Thomson Cruises").

In 2017, Thomson UK ended the charter with Louis Group. The vessel left Thomson's fleet in November 2017 and joined Celestyal Cruises fleet (starting operations in March 2018). It was renamed to "Celestyal Majesty" and deployed in Western Mediterranean to operate on roundtrips leaving from Greece and Turkey.

In July 2018, Louis Group announced that the Malta-flagged liner was sold to Mano Cruises (Israel). The vessel (renamed "Princess Iris") was laid up in Piraeus-Athens, waiting for drydock refurbishment before entering service for Mano (now Panama-flagged). Following the drydock, it was renamed "Crown Iris" and started operations on May 25, 2019. The refurb resulted in upgraded staterooms and 5 new restaurants.

The 2000-passenger ship Crown Iris was originally ordered as "MS Royal Majesty" for Imperial Majesty Cruise Line (1999-founded/2009-defunct). In 1997, it was sold to NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line. The liner has the highest Finnish-Swedish ice class for a passenger ship (1A-Super).

As Norwegian Majesty, in 1998 the vessel was stretched/lengthened by adding a 33-m/108-ft long midship section. The drydock refit was done at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven GmbH (Bremerhaven Germany).

The ship was sold to Louis Group in 2008.

Decks and Cabins

Crown Iris staterooms (727 total, in 16 grades) include 16x Suites, 477x Oceanviews, 250x Inside, 20x Single and 4x handicap/wheelchair-accessible cabins. Most accommodations are sized 10 m2 (110 ft2/Oceanview). The largest are the two Grand Suites (sized 37 m2 / 400 ft2 including the balcony).

The boat has 11 decks, of which 9 are passenger-accessible and 6 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

There are 5 restaurants onboard Princess Iris. The open-seating Seven Seas Restaurant offers elegant waiter-service for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Four Seasons Restaurant is a smaller and intimate dining room with the same dining choices as the Seven Seas. Le Bistro is a la carte and boasts stylish interiors and a small cover charge. Cafe Royale buffet spreads 24 hours a day. Guests can enjoy cooked breakfasts and even late-night snacks. Piazza San Marco serves snacks like pizzas and burgers out on the pool deck. Room service can be ordered 24 hours a day for your cabin. Remember the Gala night - weekly Captain's Gala Dinner and Cocktail Party, worth dressing up for.

Follows the complete list of cruise ship's restaurants and food bars.

• Four Seasons Restaurant (the smaller of the two Dining Rooms; offers a more intimate atmosphere; dinner only, with 5-course dinner menu)
• Le Bistro Restaurant (French cuisine speciality restaurant, reservations-only with a la carte priced menu; also offers vegetarian choices)
• Seven Seas Restaurant (the bigger Dining Room, open-seating; offers waiter-service Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner; Buffet style dining is offered at breakfast; the restaurant hosts the formal Captain's Gala Reception and Dinner)
• Cafe Royale (the smaller of the two buffet restaurants; operates as a self-service dining venue, part of which are The Chef's Corners Buffets)
• The Chef's Corners (offers pancakes, freshly baked waffles, classic fast food; serves the pool area with complimentary fast food and ice cream which costs extra)
• Piazza San Marco Restaurant (casual Lido buffet restaurant with large wraparound panoramic windows).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

There are 5 bars on the ship. The Royal Observatory, with its live music and great views, is one of the most sophisticated cocktail bars onboard a cruise ship. Rendezvous also offers live music and late-night cabarets. Polo Club is a central bar suitable for pre-drinks. The Coffee Bar is ideal for afternoon pick-me-ups, and Topsiders Bar is a poolside bar for drinks in the sunshine - in the evenings, it's a setting for deck parties. The two lounges onboard are the Jubilee Lounge, bringing performances from UK guest acts and crew singers, live band sets, game shows, late-night discos; the Royal Fireworks, offering cabarets, quizzes, live performances from resident trios. Another opportunity for entertainment is the large Monte Carlo Casino, with a full range of slot machines and gaming tables. The stage for pilates and Zumba during the day is Frame 52. Two swimming pools are also available for cruisers.

Follows the complete list of the cruise ship lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Royal Fireworks Lounge (served by the Wi-Fi spot Rendezvous Bar; daily entertainment features trivia quizzes, bingo games, live piano performances; in the evenings it offers cabarets and live band music)
• Browsers' Corner (24-hour combined Library and Internet Cafe)
• Broad Street Shops (duty-free shopping arcade with boutiques selling watches, fine jewellery, Mano Cruises logo merchandise, luxury perfumes, fashion clothes, liquor, tobaccos, convenience goods); Boutique (luxury Spa cosmetics, beauty products)
• Photo Gallery & Shop; Card Room; Reading Room; Coffee Bar (Wi-Fi spot)
• Polo Club (a classy cocktail bar with a grand piano and party band)
• Jubilee Lounge (ship's theatre for grand-style evening production shows: music revues, cabaret, comedy acts, live music performances; transforms into a disco nightclub nights; Afternoon Tea is served on sea days)
• Monte Carlo Casino (served by its own Bar)
• The Frame 52 Disco nightclub (daily wellness classes: Aerobics, personal training, Yoga and Pilates are at extra charge)
• Royal Observatory (indoor observation lounge/Wi-Fi spot)
• Main Pool area (2 swimming pools - one main flanked by two whirlpools, and one adult-only, sunbathing area; served by Pool Bar and Topsiders Bar)
• Kids Club (play area, complimentary; offers supervised age-appropriate activities for kids 3-11 yo); Video Games Arcade; Graffiti's Teen Area
• Sana Wellness Centre (Spa complex, consisting of Beauty Salon, well-equipped Gym, 4 Treatment Rooms, room with whirlpool tub, Sauna)
• Oceans Spa & Gym (Wellness Centre: Spa treatments, hairdresser/barber services, Massage Rooms, Saunas, Beauty Salon, Relaxation Area; The Gym has a separate Aerobic Studio).

Itineraries

Crown Iris itineraries are roundtrips from homeport Haifa Israel to Eastern Mediterranean ports - in Cyprus, Greece (Greek Islands) and Italy. Itinerary options range from 2-3-4-5-7-9-12-days long voyages. Mini cruises (2-3-days) visit Larnaca Cyprus. The longest voyages visit either Black Sea ports (in Bulgaria and Romania), Aegean Sea ports (Greece and Turkey) or Adriatic Sea ports (Greece, Italy, Croatia, also Sicily Island).

Notes: Celestyal Majesty itinerary program offered 3-day and 4-day Eastern Mediterranean ("Greek Isles") cruises leaving roundtrip from homeports Piraeus-Athens (Greece) and Kusadasi-Ephesus (Turkey). Thomson Majesty's itinerary program was based on Mediterranean roundtrips from Greece (Athens) and Spain's Canary Islands (homeports Tenerife and Gran Canaria).

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, Mano Cruises paused Crown Iris for 2+ years (March 2020 through May 2022), restarting operations on May 12, 2022, out of Haifa.

The company's Eastern Mediterranean 2023 season started on March 23, 2023, when Crown Iris departed Piraeus on a 3-night voyage to Cyprus (Limassol overnight stay). Longer Aegean itineraries visit Greek islands (Rhodes, Crete/Heraklion, Kefalonia/Agostoli, Corfu/Kerkyra) as well as Croatia's ports Dubrovnik and Split. Black Sea itineraries visit Greek islands plus Bulgaria (Varna, Burgas) and Romania (Constanta).

The vessel was built in 1992 and originally ordered as "MS Birka Queen" by Birka Cruises. However, it was completed and launched under the name "ms Royal Majesty" and her godmother is Liza May Minnelli (US actress and singer). The ship debuted as a part of Majesty Cruise Line's fleet (operational between 1992-1997, now defunct). Since then the vessel's name (and owner) has been changed 3 times, with former names "Norwegian Majesty" (for NCL Norwegian) and Louis Majesty (Louis Cruises / Celestyal Cruises). The vessel was sold to NCL in 1997 when was enlarged during a drydock refit (lengthened by 34 m / 112 ft) at Lloyd Werft shipyard (Bremerhaven, Germany).

The ship was part of 1995's "Titanic Cruise" expedition to the sinking site of RMS Titanic. Royal Majesty carried survivors from the Titanic disaster while parts of the sunken liner were being salvaged.

In 2012-2017, the ship (previously "Louis Majesty") was operated under charter by Thomson UK (Marella Cruises). Thomson carried out fleetwide refurbishment plan for upgrades to the in-house category "Platinum Status" (akin to 4-star ranking).

The following table shows Thomson Majesty's last cruise for Thomson/Marella. The 7-night / 8-day itinerary (themed "Spirit of Iberia") was a roundtrip from Spain. Prices started from USD 680 pp (with double occupancy).

Due to the COVID-related travel restrictions worldwide, Mano Cruises canceled Crown Iris ship's entire 2020 season (March through December). December). A total of 32 itineraries (departures from homeport Haifa Israel) were canceled. Operations were planned to restart on March 18, 2021.